Assessment is a complex task, but it is also a strategy for guaranteeing quality teaching and learning processes. From a psychological point of view, assessment stirs up various feelings and develops expectations by both the assessors and those being assessed. In particular, technical and vocational training and IeFP (regional vocational education and training) require new ways of considering assessment, exploring alternative evaluation methods to those that have an almost exclusive emphasis on academic grades. The course will look at developing operational tools for skills-based assessments focused on increasing awareness and stimulating students' learning.

This course is aimed at educators, psychologists, rehabilitation specialists, social workers, doctors and those who wish to improve their skills in observing, teaching and stimulating cognitive function in the elderly. Its multidisciplinary approach, encompassing medical fields such as neurology and geriatrics as well as humanities such as psychology, pedagogy, anthropology and psychomotricity, will enable course participants to gain observation skills in a range of problems that can affect elderly people. They will also learn how to interact effectively with different professionals who may operate in various fields. At the same time, being both a theoretical and practical course, participants will learn about and practice using specific techniques for observation and action.

Italy and Europe are becoming increasingly multicultural, yet many areas are still imbued with racism and xenophobia. Sometimes racist comments or acts are committed knowingly; at other times unwittingly. Migrants and minority groups of various types continue to receive differential or discriminatory treatment. Their presence in Italian society is viewed as marginal or even censored by an unequal system that affects them on a daily basis, often denying them access to basic rights.
The course aims to provide the knowledge to not only highlight the phenomenon of the recent, most striking racist revival but also to expose forms of racism often hidden or justified by common sense, such as homophobia, Islamophobia, prejudice against gypsies and discrimination against people with disabilities. The course will also suggest alternatives to our current reality in order to develop a holistic antiracist environment, both theoretically and practically. To this aim, this year the course will incorporate the latest knowledge and teachings in the fields of cultural anthropology, psychology, law, mass media, urban planning, economics, theology and peace-keeping.

Participants of this course will start by analysing their own teaching practices and then be guided through implementing teaching strategies suited to the learning styles of students in professional and technical institutes, with an emphasis on inductive approaches. The course will cover teaching skills for activating and supporting processes and environments of significant learning, aspects of cooperative learning, teaching workshops, active participation, peer collaboration, teaching for real world activities and authentic assessment.

Participants of this course will start by analysing their own teaching practices, then be guided through implementing teaching strategies that are suited to adult learning styles. The focus will be on approaches that take into account each course user's professional background to encourage the transfer of learning from the classroom to their real job.

Procedures and outcome assessment tools for educational intervention for minors removed from their families either by court order or on the basis of a joint decision by parents/child services. This course aims to provide support for developing outcome assessment tools concerning intervention for minors, which could be shared by various professionals potentially involved in such services. The course will enable participants to develop expertise in joint outcome assessment, and will also provide training in using the assessment tools currently in use. Professionals involved in making decisions regarding the fate of minors entrusted to, or under the responsibility of, child welfare services, must be able to develop a shared language with other professionals to provide systematic, documented observations to be shared with the minor's family and juvenile court judges. Assessments must take into account the need for families and courts to have as much information as possible in order to ensure that the interventions for minors are effective, and most of all that objectives are reached.

Planning is one of the most important parts of the education process, since it has a large influence on the effectiveness of learning pathways. Studies regarding learning and teaching practices are now oriented towards overcoming the singleness of the "course" format and instead moving towards building "learning contexts/environments" that are open, flexible, resource-rich and make ample use of technology.

In national, pedagogical and psychogical guidelines, arts education in preschools and primary schools is recognised as having an important role in the development of a child's personality and skills. In practice, however, in day-to-day school life arts education is often pushed aside and not given due recognition. This occurs due to a lack of relevant basic and continuing education courses for teachers. The course therefore aims to develop participants' basic knowledge related to this field of education, specifically in preschool and primary school contexts. In national, pedagogical and psychogical guidelines, arts education in preschools and primary schools is recognised as having an important role in the development of a child's personality and skills. In practice, however, in day-to-day school life arts education is often pushed aside and not given due recognition. This occurs due to a lack of relevant basic and continuing education courses for teachers. The course therefore aims to develop participants' basic knowledge related to this field of education, specifically in preschool and primary school contexts.

The cooperative business model is economically and socially widespread in the Veneto region. Cooperation has a history and values that are identifiable in its principles, which are shared internationally by the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA). In reality, however, there are often discrepancies between the everyday practices and the original values. There are spurious cooperatives where the cooperative label is used for activities that are marginally permissible. Thus, we need to rebuild our cooperative culture and consciously live the substance of cooperative enterprises. The course intends to promote cooperative culture in everyday business practice. It is therefore aimed at those who have responsibility in local cooperative enterprises, and also those who want to be aware of their own part to play as a cooperator.

Orientation counselling has a certain tradition in both vocational training centres and in schools. In recent years, especially in relation to the accredition procedures of regional guidance centres, these practices have often become formalised, with guidelines being drawn up. However, the professional practice of counsellors is in fact very complex, encompassing multiple dimensions of a technical nature - especially psychological and pedagogical - and, more broadly, cultural, rational and ethical facets, as well as incorporating numerous meanings and values.

Group management is a subject of interest to both coordinators who deal with groups of teachers/trainers and teachers/trainers who deal with students/trainees in the classroom. Managing a group can sometimes be difficult due to the dynamics that develop between members of the group itself or because of specific issues that each group member may bring. The course therefore aims to provide tools for coordinators and trainers to manage group dynamics in such a way that it becomes the instrument, the means and indeed the objective of the training itself.